US Justice Department moves to roll back gun control measures 4 days after gunman storms DC diner
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US Justice Department officials moved Wednesday to roll back or reverse a series of gun laws in a major overhaul of gun policy pushed by Second Amendment supporters in President Donald Trump’s base.
Gun control activists denounced it as dangerous and reckless days after authorities said a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and kill the Republican president.
Among the more than 30 changes announced Wednesday is a proposed repeal of the Biden administration’s 2024 law that sought to force thousands of gun dealers across the US to conduct background checks on buyers at gun shows or other locations outside of brick-and-mortar stores.
That law was intended to close what is sometimes called the “gun show loophole,” which allowed guns to be sold by unlicensed dealers who did not conduct background checks to ensure that a potential buyer was not legally prohibited from owning a gun.
Gun rights groups and Republican-led states have challenged the law in court, saying it violates the Second Amendment and that then-president Joe Biden did not have the authority to implement it.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche called the slate of revisions “the most comprehensive regulatory reform package in history” for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Blanche said the changes bring gun laws into line with US Supreme Court precedent while reducing unnecessary burdens on gun dealers and legal gun owners.
“For too long, laws have been written without any real understanding of how gun businesses work, how legitimate gun owners handle their guns, or anything that improves public safety,” Blanche said.
The second day of the Republican National Convention focused on security in the US, with border security and immigration the main topics, but not gun control – even after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Gun control groups have accused the administration of providing gun rights activists with lax laws they say will make the country less safe.
“Four days after the country watched a shooting at the White House, the Trump administration’s response is to scrap gun safety laws and destroy a federal agency dedicated to keeping guns out of the hands of criminals,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement.
The new head of the agency responsible for gun laws
The changes were signed shortly after Robert Cekada, a longtime law enforcement officer, was confirmed by the US Senate to lead the ATF, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the nation’s gun laws. Cekada, who joined the ATF in 2005, has been running the agency’s day-to-day operations for the past year as its deputy director.
Cekada is only the third person to be confirmed to lead the organization since the position of director was confirmed in 2006. The agency has been largely led by acting directors, as both Republican and Democratic administrations have failed to secure nominees for the ATF position through a politically fraught process.
The ATF has long been targeted by conservatives for its role in gun control, but Trump’s Justice Department has upped the agency’s role in taking illegal guns off the street and curbing violent crime.
“Rob is the right person to lead the ATF right now,” said Blanche.
